Grey’s Anatomy recap: A death, a cancer diagnosis, and a break-up

If the majority of the Grey’s Anatomy cast hadn’t been absent from the episode, I would have sworn it was the fall finale. We experienced three shocking moments, none of which were happy-go-lucky. People who work at Grey Sloane Memorial, beware because pain and sadness cling to anyone and everyone wearing scrubs.

Take Frankie, for example. She’s the head nurse who’s been popping up here and there in previous episodes. Being 28 weeks pregnant doesn’t slow the woman down. In fact, she’s bolder than ever and easily calls Weber out for acting weird. Before he can answer, she doubles over in pain. Cue every nurse within earshot running to her aid.

Weber takes matters into his own hands and an ultrasound confirms that Frankie’s baby boy is nice and strong, but his mama has a twisted spleen. Weber wants to perform surgery, but Frankie puts her foot down. She knows the risks and she doesn’t want to put her baby in any danger. She can handle the pain and since she doesn’t have a husband to count on, she’d rather not be weighed down by hospital debt if she can help it.

Against his better judgment, Weber doesn’t take her to the OR. Instead, he admits her and watches as the nurses tenderly dote on Frankie. When Weber kicks them out of the room to perform another ultrasound, Frankie lays into him again. She clicks through all of the usual suspects (family, kids, job) and finally lands on the problem: Weber is sad because Ollie died. Of course, Frankie understands. Ollie was her patient too.

Weber leaves but is quickly called back when Frankie begins to writhe in pain. The culprit? Fluid in the abdomen. The baby is in distress and Karev is called in just in case things get dicey. Frankie doesn’t want to go to the OR. This time, Weber puts his foot down and a crowd of nurses gather to help make things go as smooth as possible.

Karev wants to take the baby, but Weber won’t let him. He removes Frankie’s spleen and all is well for exactly 10 seconds. She begins bleeding uncontrollably as Weber frantically tries to locate the source. Now the baby’s heart rate is compromised so Karev begins shouting at Weber to let him save the baby before it’s too late. Weber concedes. Karev works fast with the hope that Weber can save Frankie once the baby is out.

Weber is frantic. He shouts at Karev, begging him to give him an update on the baby who is clearly not breathing. Karev remains very calm and does his job. The baby begins breathing on his own and is placed immediately in an incubator. Weber tells Frankie that her baby is safe.

That’s when she crashes and dies.

That’s right. FRANKIE DIES. The nurses weep and hug each other. Weber loses it and heads straight to an AA meeting. A woman shares that she knows of a bar that gives you a shot for every year you have been sober. The audience (and me) are shocked by this horrific marketing stunt. Weber gets up and leaves in the middle of the meeting.

We see him in front of the bar with the makeshift sign that reads, “Chip for shots.” Weber hands over his chip and the bartender notices that he’s eight years sober. He pours eight shots of vodka and leaves Weber to fight with his demons.

And Weber does fight. He takes a bat and he trashes the place. He berates the bartender for messing with people who are trying to hang on with everything they’ve got, as he breaks all the bottles of alcohol. Then he lets out a guttural scream. For Frankie. For Ollie. For sobriety. (Recap continued on next page.)

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